Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Release Day Review: "Reckless in Love" by Bella Andre and Jennifer Skully

Synopsis:

Sebastian Montgomery rose from nothing to become one of the most powerful media moguls in the world. Yet beneath the seemingly perfect façade of his life, the past still haunts him. Because when he lost his parents in his teens, he also lost his faith in love. When he discovers Charlie Ballard and her incredible metal sculptures, he is awed, inspired—and he can’t help feeling things he swore never to let himself feel again. Soon, Sebastian wants not only Charlie’s art, he wants her as a woman, too. More than he’s ever wanted anything in his life. And what a Maverick wants, he always gets…

For Charlie, Sebastian offers the commission of a lifetime. Creating a magnificent sculpture for his new headquarters is a dream come true, but falling for the spellbinding billionaire isn’t part of the plan...until his luscious kisses entice her into total recklessness. He fascinates and captivates her, and as Charlie learns more about the dark depths of Sebastian’s past, all she wants is to heal him with her love. But can a man who has grown up thinking love is toxic ever believe that true love is real?

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review:

Reckless in Love is the 2nd book in Maverick Billionaires series by Bella Andre and Jennifer Skully. I thought the character development was well done. Sebastian is a complex character who is influenced by specific experiences in his childhood - one very much so. It drives everything he does in his life and he's constantly analyzing himself and his actions against the yardstick he formed as a child. I really liked Sebastian as a character.

Charlie is also complex. She's driven by a different set of principles but there are similarities in how their past has influenced their daily life. What I didn't like about Charlie is that she made decisions based on what she thought she needed to do to please Sebastian and lost herself in the relationship. As strong as she was portrayed, she didn't see that in herself.

The one thing that held back a 5 star rating is some of the writing style. I felt there were many times that cliches and superlatives were overused. I rarely find it credible when the first time a couple comes together that it was the "best sex they'd ever had" or "most intense orgasm they ever had". Those superlatives tend to turn me off and I felt they were overused a bit in the book. I also felt the book could have been a bit more balanced between storyline and intimacy scenes. I wanted a bit more of the story line in the book. The intimacy scenes were well written but I feel, at times, that an author can overdo it with detailed intimacy scenes over and over when sometimes they can be left to the imagination of the reader. It wasn't that there was "too much sex" per se, it was more that there were times that I felt the balance wasn't quite right and once a couple has come together, there are times the intimacy can be alluded to without specifics to keep the story moving along.

That said, the complex character development and the unique storyline of a relationship between a billionaire and a junkyard artist make it an interesting read. The authors also gave us a check-in with our previous favorite characters and continued to draw us into the lives of the other Mavericks and their parents and I look forward to subsequent stories.

About the Authors:Bella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of “The Sullivans” and “The Morrisons” series.

Having sold more than 4 million books, Bella Andre’s novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 18 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King), and Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top writers in America” and she has been featured by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine. Bella also writes the New York Times bestselling Four Weddings and a Fiasco series as Lucy Kevin.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.

Jennifer Skully NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Skully is a lover of contemporary romance, bringing you poignant tales peopled with hilarious characters that will make you laugh and make you cry. Writing as Jasmine Haynes, she's authored over 35 classy, sensual romance tales about real issues like growing older, facing divorce, starting over. Her books have passion and heart and humor and happy endings, even if they aren't always traditional. She also writes gritty, paranormal mysteries in the Max Starr series.

Jasmine and Jennifer lives in the foothills of a gorgeous California mountain range, the perfect setting for writing sensual romance, chilling mystery or something guaranteed to make you laugh. She and her husband have a recent addition to the household, an adorable nuisance, oops, adorable cat named Wrigley!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: All material on this web site is copyrighted c2015. No content may be copied or reproduced without express written permission of the author and proper attribution. Requests may be submitted to nancystopper@gmail.com

About Me

I'm a mom of 3 and an avid reader. After not reading anything other than books to my kids, I decided to read for myself. And I was hooked. My Kindle goes everywhere with me - and I mean everywhere. I wore out my first one. I read romance novels: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Christian Romance, Historical Romance. I may throw in a Women's Fiction from time to time, and maybe a John Grisham (because who doesn't love John Grisham) but mostly you'll read about my Romance reads. My 2015 New Years Resolution was to write more reviews. When I finish a book, I immediately want to jump into another one, and often do. But the authors I read bring so much to my life with their books and I'd like to give a little back by offering them a review.